Racing UK -- The Horse Racing Channel, now branded Racing UK, will begin broadcasting live and free on Saturday at 1 p.m., piggybacking on the already existing iSports TV Sky Channel 425. Depending upon the daily action, the channel will air for about five to eight hours per day. Highflyer has been confirmed as Racing UK's production company, and although the complete team of presenters is still being assembled, Rishi Persad, formerly of AttheRaces, is slated to present the channel's first program from Kempton on Saturday. On Wednesday, Cartmel became the 29th racecourse to align itself with Racing UK, which already has agreements with the majority of Britain's tracks. Rival channel AttheRaces is likely to begin airing 13 days after Racing UK's debut.
Sealing the Deal -- Victoria's gambling group, Tabcorp, has raised its bid for New South Wales-based Tab Ltd. to A$2.15 billion, valuing Tab's shares at $4.77 each. Tab's board responded by recommending that its shareholders accept the offer, making the unification of Australia's two largest wagering groups inevitable. The deal remains conditional on Tabcorp being able to obtain 90 percent of Tab. Tab shares closed 2.1 percent higher at $4.79 on the day, and Tabcorp close 1.7 percent higher at $13.56.
PokerStars -- By the end of Wednesday evening, only 32 of 2,576 players remained in the World Series of Poker. Astonishingly, seven of the remaining players qualified for the tournament by winning satellite tournaments at PokerStars.com, the company that qualified last year's World Series champion, Chris Moneymaker. The field will narrow today from 32 players to nine, and the tournament champion will be crowned Friday.
Seeking a CFO -- Jenifer Cua will serve as interim chief financial officer and treasurer for software provider CryptoLogic Inc. following the departure of incumbent CFO Jim Ryan, who has left the company and has entered into employment discussions with competing company. Cua, who will report directly to CEO Lewis Rose, joined CryptoLogic in 1998 and was most recently director of treasury. The company is currently searching for a CFO.
eCOGRA Seals -- Two of Cassava Casinos' most popular online casinos have been awarded eCOGRA (eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance) seals of approval. Casino On Net (www.888.com) and Reef Club Casino (www.reefclubcasino.com) have passed PricewaterhouseCoopers' inspection process for fair gaming, players protection and efficiency. Casino On Net and Reef Club Casino join 41 other casinos that have received eCOGRA's seal.
P2P Tournament -- Betting exchange iBetX is inviting punters across Europe to compete in its European Handicapping Championship, which will take place entirely online and will begin with qualifying rounds on June 25 and 26. Participants will have a 10,000-point fund with which to back, lay and trade horses to increase their purse. The top 25 percent will advance to the semi-finals on July 3 and 4. The prize payout will depend on the number of entrants, but s first prize of at least £10,000 is guaranteed to the winner.
Quoteworthy "It's essential that we end up with good law. The draft bill is much too short on detail and doesn't afford the industry a solid base on which to build. We don't want legislation that is so flexible that we end up not with the rule of law but rule by quango."
-- Tom Kelly, chief executive of the Association of British Bookmakers, commenting to the racing post about the necessity of passing a precise gambling bill.
Kelly continued, "In the betting sector, we need clear definitions of what constitutes betting, gaming and bookmaking. Bookmakers have a reputation for being innovative, but how can an industry, or company, be expected to invest when a new betting product, complying with the current definition, could be redefined as gaming on the whim of the Gambling Commission or the Secretary of State? My fear is that we could end up with a straightjacket on development and a stifling of entrepreneurial flair, effectively killing all but the most cautious product development."